The umbrella was like a flower a great Blue flower that had sprung up on the dry Brown hillside.' in exchange for her lucky leopard's claw pendant Binya acquires a beautiful Blue umbrella that makes her the envy of everyone in her village especially Ram Bharata the shop-keeper. Ruskin Bond's short and humorous novella set in the picturesque hills of Garhwal perfectly captures life in a village where both heroism and redemption can be found.